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NetherlandsEconomy18 days ago

Billions of government purchases go through software owned by US private equity

The Dutch government uses software called Mercell, developed by a Norwegian company now owned by American private equity, to manage public procurement worth tens of billions of euros. The article highlights concerns about transparency and potential regulatory violations as Mercell has become a monopoly in this sector. It also mentions academic criticism regarding the importance of procurement rules in democratic processes and notes that the Netherlands is the least transparent EU country in public tenders.

3 jun i

·

8

min. leestijd

Nederlandse overheden regelen aanbestedingen ter waarde van tientallen miljarden euro’s via software van Mercell. Dat Noorse bedrijf kwam in handen van Amerikaans private equity en heeft zijn concurrenten opgeslokt. Nu het een monopolie heeft, zoekt het de randen van de regels op.

Beeld:

© Follow the Money

Hoogleraar Elisabetta Manunza: ‘Aanbestedingsregels behoren tot de kern van het democratisch proces’

Nederland is het minst transparante EU-land bij openbare aanbestedingen

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Ministerie: alleen Europese bedrijven mogen straks DigiD beheren

Read the full article at Follow the Money →
Source document: Hoogleraar Elisabetta Manunza

1 reports

Follow the MoneyIndependentCenter18 days ago
Billions of government purchases go through software owned by US private equity

The Dutch government uses software called Mercell, developed by a Norwegian company now owned by American private equity, to manage public procurement worth tens of billions of euros. The article highlights concerns about transparency and potential regulatory violations as Mercell has become a monopoly in this sector. It also mentions academic criticism regarding the importance of procurement rules in democratic processes and notes that the Netherlands is the least transparent EU country in public tenders.

Bias read (Center): The article presents facts about the ownership structure of Mercell, its market dominance, and academic commentary without overtly favoring any political side. It includes critical perspectives but does not exhibit clear bias through loaded language or selective sourcing.

Official sources cited

  • study Hoogleraar Elisabetta Manunza
  • government Ministerie

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  • studyHoogleraar Elisabetta Manunza
  • governmentMinisterie